A traffic consultant found SDSU’s parking to be adequate for student enrollment.

Anthony Sutton, parking and traffic committee chair for the Student’s Association said administration hired a parking consultant to evaluate the parking situation on campus last April.

“With all of the changes (to campus), it only made sense to see where we are at (parking-wise) for the long-term,” Sutton said.

Dean Kattelmann, assistant vice president for facilities and services, said SDSU has excess parking space on campus.

“There are over 900 extra spaces and about 7,800 total spaces on campus,” Kattelmann said.

Kattelmann said there are two parking spaces for every commuter tag on campus. Eighty-five percent of the residence hall beds have a parking space.

“Not every student living on campus brings a vehicle to school,” Kattelmann said.

Some students are still unsatisfied with the parking at SDSU.

“I have been able to park on campus twice since buying my parking pass because I’ve had trouble finding a spot,” said commuter This Hammink, a 22-year-old electronics engineering technology major.

In an effort to respond to the student voice and add more lots, a new commuter lot across from Crothers Engineering Hall was paved this summer that will add 295 parking spaces. The lot will be ready for traffic by October’s end.

“It will be nice when the new lot is finally open,” Hammink said.

The lot is not completely finished yet and only the interior spots will be available for parking.

“The perimeter spots will not be open until the final landscaping is in place,” Kattelmann said. “If we continue to have good weather, the lot could be usable in two weeks. We lost a week of construction due to the bad weather.”

Students are proposing more parking changes for the long term.

“I think we should join The Union parking lot with the lot in front of the HPER,” said Rohit Anand, 22, software engineering major from Brookings.

Other changes students will notice on campus include the lot to the west of the Newman Center converted to a complete reserved lot.

Plans are in the works for the lot near the Coughlin-Alumni Stadium to become a remote lot and for pavement of a new motor pool next summer. The current motor pool is located south of the Horse Unit.

This is the first year students are no longer able to purchase parking permits at the University Police Department. Now, all permits are available at the Cashier’s Office, Administration building, room 136.

“The biggest change was switching UPD permit sales to the Cashiers office,” said Eric Haiar, 21, state and local government chairman of Student’s Association.

According to the SDSU Parking and Traffic Regulations 2010 Handbook, the current parking permit prices are; $86, residence hall lot; $152 residence hall reserved; $120, commuter lot; $240, reserved; $80, remote.

A $20 replacement fee for the plastic hang-tag is required for students and faculty that have lost their tag.

Visitors are still able to pick up parking passes at UPD and The Union.

On Sept. 9, the Parking and Traffic Committee met and discussed if SDSU was too lax on their parking enforcement. Also discussed was a recap of how parking decal sales went.

“We were brainstorming ideas to solve different problems handling parking passes by the Cashier’s Office such as the long lines in the Volstorff Ballroom. We don’t have any results as of now,” said Haiar.

The committee is waiting to make a decision to present the idea to SDSU President David Chicoine.

“As of now, the plans have only been vetted to Administration and the Parking and Traffic committee,” Kattelmann said.

Unveiling of the proposed walking campus plan is set for Sept. 23 at 3 p.m. in the Volstorff Ballroom at The Union. The presentation will be open to the public.

#1.1599606:3549500466.jpg:The newly paved parking lot will add 295 spaces for SDSU commuters.:The newly paved parking lot will add 295 spaces for SDSU commuters. Other parking changes include new designations for several lots and a new location to purchase parking pass decals is in the Cashier?s Office, Administration building, room 136.:Collegian Photo by Aaron Stoneberger